Previewing the top storylines for 2026 NFL training camps - ESPN

Ah, NFL training camps. Blistering hot days. Undrafted free agents shining in third-team drills. Fisticuffs on the fourth day of consecutive practices. Preseason snap count discourse. Can't you just feel the excitement in the air?

Training camps are just about a week away for most teams. Each enters camp with important questions to answer: positional battles up and down the depth chart, a first look at injured players attempting to recover for the season, and plenty of rookies going through their first real paces as members of the National Football League.

I tried to distill the biggest and most important storylines in those four categories below. The sort of stuff that could have a real impact once the regular season kicks off on Sept. 9 up until the Super Bowl on Valentine's Day. Let's get into it, starting with Houston's busy offseason.

Jump to:
Questions | Battles
Injuries | Rookies

The Texans knew they needed to improve the offensive line and threw bodies at the problem accordingly. Houston traded for Browns guard Wyatt Teller, signed offensive tackle Braden Smith and drafted Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge at the end of the first round. But despite their efforts, the final form of the starting five is still unclear.

Second-year player Aireontae Ersery will start at left tackle, while right guard Ed Ingram is entrenched at his position. That forces Teller, a career right guard, to flop to the left, where he hasn't taken significant snaps since his rookie year in Cleveland. Rutledge was also a career right guard in college. He took snaps during the predraft process and is the leading candidate to kick over to center, where incumbent Jake Andrews is still rostered. That battle isn't the only one we're likely to see